Scoring that Summer Internship

Well, January’s nearly over, and you know what that means: time to start thinking about those summer internships. At LTWF, I was first introduced as the intern of the group, and two years later I can safely say that interning was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. If you have the time and the means to do it, do.

But there’s a lot to consider when looking for that perfect internship, be it summer, spring, fall or winter. If I wasn’t such an anal organizer, I’d probably have had an aneurysm trying to figure everything out. So here’s hoping I can save some of you from spontaneous combustion.

When I officially decided I wanted to get involved in publishing during my sophomore year of college, I knew I was going to need an internship on my resume if I wanted to stand out to my potential employers. Some people will tell you an internship isn’t necessary, but I don’t really believe that. Let’s say a job for an editorial assistant is posted on Random House’s job board. Roughly three or four hundred people will apply. One person is going to get that position. One. And if you want to stand out amongst your competitors, you’re going to want that internship on your resume. If you can finagle it, maybe even two or three (though not at the same time! Trust me, you’ll go crazy). Like anything, you always want that extra edge that is going to make you more marketable. And that’s why an internship is so important.

Random House no longer offers an internship program. They didn’t in 2009 when I was looking, and their website says there will be none for 2012 either.

Penguin and Macmillan offer paid internships

In the end, I applied for a total of 51 internships and heard back from about eight or nine. You can expect silence from most of the places you apply to — unless they’re interested, most places will never get back to you. If you’re applying to be an assistant at a literary agency, it’s more likely that you’ll get a response, but not even that’s a guarantee. So be persistent and follow up with the places you’re most interested in. Just don’t be a creepy stalker who calls every day, sends an email every hour, and/or camps out in the Hachette lobby hoping to spot someone who looks vaguely editorial.

I should point out a few things you’ll want to consider before you accept a position:

1. Where are you going to live? 99% of internships don’t offer housing, so you’re going to have to find it on your own. I was lucky enough to stay with a friend for the summer, but if you’re going to be moving to a new city or state, and don’t know anyone, be aware of the costs. NYC and D.C. are not cheap places to live. Most big cities aren’t. Craigslist is a great resource, and while you’ll undoubtedly come across a creeper or two, there are some nice people out there who are willing to rent out their rooms. Know your budget ahead of time so you don’t wind up signing a lease on a place you can’t afford. Ask about utilities, cable, internet, etc.

Helpful hint: If you’re looking for a summer internship in New York City, NYU rents out its dorms. They’re a little pricey, but the location is great, and the area itself offers a lot to do.

Also consider the safety of the neighborhood you might be living in. Every city has bad areas, and no internship is worth risking your life over. (And trust me, there are definitely areas in New York, D.C., and Chicago you don’t want to be anywhere near.) Do your research so you know where not to live. Housing costs are less for a reason, and people will lie to you in order to get their rent paid.

2. How are you going to pay for things? Most internships are not paid, though some will offer some kind of compensation (possibly travel costs) or stipend (usually given at the end). If it’s the case that you won’t be receiving a paycheck, are you going to be able to afford rent? Food? If you’re living in a big city, you’ll want to go exploring – will you have money for that? I made sure to take out extra loans for my spring semester, so I was able to use that over the summer months. Depending on how often you intern, and how much you have saved, you might want to consider getting a part-time job as well.

3. How are you going to get there, and how are you going to get around once you’re there? If you’re relocating to a city like NYC, D.C., Chicago, LA, or Boston, you may not want to bring your vehicle for the summer. Flying is usually the easiest way to get to wherever you’re going, and if you book your ticket well in advance, the price may not be too bad.

Sites like Cheapoair, Kayak, and Expedia can have some really great deals if you book far enough in advance. Also, if you find a great deal on one of those sites, check the price on the actual airline’s site. Sometimes that’s even cheaper.

But what to do for transportation once you get there? I can personally vouch for the D.C. metro; it’ll get you where you need to go, and is incredibly easy to navigate. New York also has a great subway system, with lines that extend into every borough. It can seem a little daunting at first, but you’ll get the hang of things soon enough. All of the Big Six houses are easily accessible by train, and most agencies are too.

Keep in mind how much transportation costs. The MTA in NY offers a variety of metro cards, from unlimited to pay-as-you-go (the most expensive being $104 for an unlimited monthly). D.C.’s WMATA also offers a variety of cards, although none of them are unlimited. But prices for your trip will depend on the time of day and where you get on and off. Rushhour is always going to cost you more.

Also, consider how often public transportation runs. NYC is 24 hours, while D.C. is not. Other cities will have different schedules. So if you happen to miss the last train, know that cabs can be expensive, depending on the distance.

Any large city is going to have some kind of metro system you’ll be able to use, and be fairly reliable. But do your research and make sure the internship you’re considering is one you’ll actually be able to get to. In D.C. I had to take a bus and two trains. In New York I take two trains. It’s all about location. If that literary agency that wants you is in the middle of nowhere, are you going to be able to get there?

4. Will you get college credit? A lot of colleges will help to insure that you receive credit for your internship. Make sure you ask about it ahead of time, if you’re interested. In most cases, you’ll need to fill out the appropriate paperwork before your internship actually starts.

Something else to keep in mind while applying: there are a few internships that are for credit ONLY. Don’t make the mistake of applying, only to have to turn down an offer later on.

5. What kind of things does this particular place represent? If you’re applying for a job at a literary agency, check out their website. Look at the kind of projects they represent. If you hate reading non-fiction, don’t apply for internships at a place where that’s the bulk of what they do. If you hate romance, look for a place that maybe handles thrillers or mysteries. Beggars can’t always be choosers, but if you hate what you’re reading, you probably won’t put forth nearly as much effort.

Then again, it never hurts to try new things. I didn’t read a lot of non-fiction until I got my job, and now I read it all the time. So keep an open mind and see where it takes you.

After you’ve done all the necessary research, it’s time to start applying. Don’t be afraid to send out a mass quantity of applications — you want as many options as possible. Like I said, I sent out 51. Most of the people I’ve talked to did the same thing, if not more. This isn’t querying, where you want to send letters out in rounds. Most of the deadlines are going to be around the same time, so you can’t afford to wait. And while it’s not first-come-first-served, you’re only going to look better if you send yours in early.

I found Excel to be incredibly helpful when trying to keep track of my applications. Set up a chart that contains all of the information you think you need (ie: date you sent the application, when you followed up, etc.), and be sure to update it anytime something changes.

Now that all is said and done, it’s on to the fun part! Waiting. And waiting some more. Follow up with your first or second choice, and wait some more. Hopefully you’ll get a few offers, and once that happens, you have to debate all of the things I listed above. Which one is going to be the best fit for you? Take your time before giving people an answer. Just don’t take too long!

Also, if you were offered more than one position, it never hurts to send a thank you note to the people you wind up turning down. And paper is always more personal than an email.

For me, I eventually decided to take an internship in Washington D.C., and I can say with complete certainty that it was the best decision I’ve ever made. It also proved to be the best summer of my life. I loved the city I was in, loved the people I stayed with, and finally began to find my place in the publishing industry. I spent my days reading partial and full manuscripts, then writing reader reports. I helped keep up the agency’s blog, and did side projects for the two agents I worked under. I became a veritable sponge, and soaked up every available piece of information I could.

And that’s the thing, really. You’re going to get as much out of your internship as you want. If you’re not afraid to ask questions, you’ll learn a lot. I’ve found that people in this business are more than happy to impart information on us eager young hopefuls. After all, someday we’ll be in their shoes and will need to know what we’re doing. So be sure to take in absolutely everything. If you don’t understand something, ask. I know it’s a cliche, but there really is no stupid question. You want to know this industry inside and out, and you can’t do that if you don’t put forth the effort.

Now, some of you are probably wondering what, exactly, an intern does. I can’t speak for everyone, since each internship is different, but if you work for a literary agency, you’ll most likely be doing the following:

Reading queries. I didn’t do much of this, but there were a few occasions where I would go through our backlog of paper queries and assess them. Also, most of the partials we received were accompanied by the author’s original query letter, so you’ll still be seeing a lot of them, even if your main task isn’t going through an agent’s inbox.

Reading submissions. This will probably take up the majority of your time. And be aware that sometimes you’ll be taking things home to read. Not always, and probably not often, but there are occasions where you’ll be bringing work home.

Writing reader reports. With every submission you read, you’ll need to write a report. Usually these are between one and two pages (one for a partial, and two for a full). Basically, you summarize the plot, then give reasons why you would or wouldn’t request a manuscript. It’s not difficult, and it will teach you to objectively evaluate a piece of fiction (or non-fiction).

Side projects. Sometimes an agent will ask you to research something for them, find editors for a particular project, edit a manuscript, or something similar (or not).

General office stuff. Sometimes you might be answering the phone, photocopying, emailing clients, taking care of database things, mailing rejection letters, running errands, or any other general administrative things.

For those of you applying at major publishing houses, many of their programs require you to rotate through multiple departments so you learn, overall, how the company operates.

There’s another perk to being a writer who’s an intern: you’ll get to improve your own writing. No, the people you work for probably aren’t going to sit down and read your manuscript and offer extensive feedback, but if you spend your days reading other people’s work, you’ll learn. You’ll get to see some really spectacular writing, and some not so spectacular writing, but no matter what, you can learn from these other writers. If you see many authors making the same mistake, you’ll file it away as something you yourself don’t want to do. You’ll come across a writer who has an incredible voice; pay attention and take note as to why it’s so effective.

Internships also weed people out. I’ve known people who took an internship with an agency, only to realize they’d rather be an editor. Someone who was a publicity intern realized she wanted to be more involved in marketing. Other people realize they don’t want to be a part of this industry at all. No matter what you decide, you’re going to learn something about yourself, and that information is going to be invaluable no matter what job you eventually wind up getting.

Welp, I think that just about covers it! But if you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

Also, in conjunction with today’s theme, I’m giving away a query/synopsis/first fifteen pages critique. The contest is open to anyone, anywhere, as long as you’ve got the above things written (if you have two of the three, that’s fine, too. We can adjust!) You can enter by filling out the form below, and we’ll contact the winner a week from now!

About Sammy

Sammy Bina is a literary assistant in New York City, where she handles everything from queries to contracts. When she isn’t doing literary things, you can usually find her watching bad 90s British television, or baking. She blogs every now and again, and tweets more than necessary.

Hey Rocket, no need to worry! Interns are there to weed out the bad queries (which are glaringly obvious) that don’t follow any of the rules, and to flag the ones that would be of particular interest for the agent. They’re skilled readers who are on top of trends and know what good writing is, and they wouldn’t have been hired if the agent didn’t trust them.

(As for the comment prompt….I’d probably break out one of my Reynolds Price books. They’re not books that the mainstream pub audience has often read, so there’s little chance he’d want to strike up a conversation about it.)

And as for what book I’m reading to avoid a creeper… how about Gormenghast, hardcover edition. If the creeper wants to ask questions, I can just smack him with it, and then retreat behind the bar to avoid the pub brawl!

This post was so helpful, Sammy! And it was something I’ve been wondering about a lot recently. I’ll definitely be bookmarking this post for later use 🙂

As for what book I’d read… probably something with a scrappy, kickass heroine (aka Katniss from THE HUNGER GAMES or Tris from DIVERGENT). After all, if I’m reading about a kickbutt heroine, I must be kickbutt by extension, right? 😉 Hopefully the creeper falls for that

Sammy, this is an amazing, thorough, and resourceful look at internship-hunting. I remember the nightmare that was finding an internship back when I was in college (for a different field of work, but still, many of the tips on applying, living costs, etc all still applied) and wish I’d stumbled across a post like this back then. You rock for sharing all this!

Great post, Sammy! I know that my two internships in the publishing industry in Toronto helped push me in the right direction. Of course, I was enrolled in a specifically publishing program, and we got plenty of insider’s tips on internships offered; Vanessa can vouch for that! But I definitely agree that interning is an amazing way to help you figure out where in the industry is right for you.

My internships were in data management and production. Lots of time spent on the computer and lots of time working with Adobe Creative Suite, and I loved both of them and learned a lot. I stayed in the same city and lived at home, so the details about relocating weren’t really an issue for me – but definitely things to keep in mind, since I do on occasion apply to jobs in different locations!

As for the creeper… can I be “reading” my own manuscript, in the notebook I always carry around with me? If you see someone scribbling away fervently in the corner, you’re likely to let them be. Otherwise, something hard cover with the jacket taken off. You can’t see the title, you can’t find some clever way to ask something about it!

Thanks for adding, Lea! I wish I’d had time to contact all my intern friends and ask for their input on this because, like I said, every internship is different. I’m sure what you learned was VERY different from what I learned. But I think we both turned out okay 😉

Love this post! I’m a senior in high school who wants to go into publishing, so this is super relevant for me. Definitely going to file this away for future reference; this answered so many of my questions!

Great post! There are some people who get their foot in the industry without internships through dumb luck (read: contacts), but internships are really important nowadays. I’ve recently been documenting on my blog about the way I got into publishing (I worked at Penguin and interned at Dorchester, Simon Pulse/Aladdin, Random House, and Writers House lit agency until I landed back at Random House children’s) I don’t think I would have gotten in without my internship experience, seriously.

And an additional word of advice, some publishing houses that don’t have official internships have unofficial ones that aren’t posted. For that sort of thing, I’d recommend sending a cover letter and resume to the HR department of a publishing house or lit agency of your choice and you might get a response down the line. The best times to apply for internships are during Fall or Spring if you can help it, not Summer when absolutely EVERYONE applies (plus, that’s when the most nepotism occurs).

Hi! I really like this post, I’ve been trying to get an internship in the publishing industry for the last 2 years or so, and the only thing i’ve ever had trouble with, is responding to queries for page requests or rejects. One agency I applied for told me that I was being too liberal with my requests, but I don’t really understand what that meant, since I only said to request more pages from two queries, so generally how do you know what to request?

Thank you so much for this very helpful post, Sammy. I’m in the throes of looking for and applying to internships now (I’m a junior in college), and this post streamlined all the information very nicely. I’ve got a question: I’ve been looking mainly at magazines at publishing houses for jobs; what are the perks of working at a literary agency as opposed to a book publishing house or in the editorial department of a magazine? Is it a good idea to intern at a literary agency if I don’t necessarily want to become a literary agent, but want to learn about the industry so that I can better get my own work published?

Thanks so much for doing this, Sammy! 🙂
Heaven knows you’ve saved me quite a bit of time…
But now, I’ve got to buckle down and get to work if I want to do applications and stuff!
*determined pose*

QUESTION: There’s a creeper at the pub! Tell us: what book are YOU reading to avoid him?
Uuuuuhm… I want to say that I ‘d be reading some kick-A book that would scare him off, but, if we’re being honest, I would probably just read “Harry Potter”. Or, the “Hunger Games”. 😀

Wow, thanks so much for the info! I live near NYC, so if I went for an internship, I’d most likely be commuting, but it’s very helpful anyway 🙂

Um. If I were trying to avoid a pub stalker, I’d read something like Death Note. Nothing can creep you out more than a teenager with a dark black book in their hands that they claim came from the god of death, right? :p

Sammy, this is such a useful post. Thank you! The experience you went through sounds fabulous, though as a student up north I’m always on the lookout for virtual internships. I do have a question–about the follow-ups: do you wait a week, then email again? What do you say? How do you not sound like a nag? 😛 Thanks!

Thank you thank you thank you! I’m looking at the publishing industry as a serious career option so this post is super helpful! Do you have any other usefully websites that post open job/internship positions at with publishers or literary agencies?

Nice in depth analysis of what goes into getting an internship. My favorite part would be the reading and the element of “treasure hunting” that comes with the job. I’d hide from the creeper in the pub behind Scotland by Nigel Blundell. It’s huge. It’s also perfect for whacking him over the head if necessary. 🙂

You currently know as a result considerably in the case of that issue, helped me in my opinion think about it from numerous different facets. It’s including men and women aren’t involved unless of course it is something related Gaga! Your personal products good. At all times attend to it!

Hello! I am in my last stretch of high school and have been terrified because I want to go into the publishing industry (preferably on an editorial basis) but a literary agent, publicist or anything would be lovely as well. I don’t want to be too picky. But I was hoping you could give me some advice for where to turn exactly in terms of my future studies for university in college, maybe some advice on what NOT to do? I currently work at a book store that is in close link with publishers such as Random House and Harper Collins and aspire to be a part of that atmosphere! If there is anything you could add at all, I would be so grateful! This post is extremely informative as well and has helped me very much. Have a nice day 🙂

I know I’m super late to the game, but I was actually looking up places for a summer 2014 website, and somehow, this popped up. (Not complaining.) When I go to the bookjobs.com website, though, who multiple people seem to have been raving about, their most recent Internship postings are from 2011 and 2012? Not sure if I’m doing something wrong, but…

Thank you so much for this post. I’ve been nervous about the number of internships I’ve applied for, but reading this definitely made me feel better. All the information and advice in this post was really helpful– thank you!

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